Forestrike from Devolver Digital and Skeleton Crew Studio is an action roguelite inspired by classic martial arts movies. Learn more in our Forestrike review!
Forestrike from Devolver Digital and Skeleton Crew Studio is an action roguelite inspired by classic martial arts movies. You’ll be stepping into the role of Yu, and will be embarking on a journey across the country… to free the Emperor from an evil Admiral’s influence! This particular Admiral – a foreign mercenary – had presented himself to the court as a potential option for protecting the Capital. Unfortunately, as soon as he saw a chance, he made a play to take advantage of the scholars’ greed to gain great power and influence, like a parasite ready to strike.
You’re a martial artist who is part of the Order of the Foresight. Sworn to protect the Emperor, no matter the cost, all members are more than ready to die for him. As the last apprentice of the Order of the Foresight, and the youngest bearer of its secret technique, you’re the only one who can dare to stop the Admiral and the evil forces it commands, like vile puppets. The odds are stacked against you right away, but you have this special power that can eventually turn the tide of battle in your favor. I previously had a chance to work on a review for Olija from this publisher and indie dev combo, so I was definitely up for checking out what Forestrike had to bring to the table.
You’ll be controlling Yu with the left analog stick or the D-Pad as you move left, right, up, or down. Foresee by pressing the L or ZL buttons. This will allow you to gauge how your actions will affect the fight over and over again, until you’ve managed to figure out the best course of action. Enter your fight stance by pressing the R or ZR buttons so that you can then fight your enemies. Your light attacks are mapped to the Y button, with heavy attacks set to the X button. Light attacks can deal one point of damage. They’re a quick and versatile option. Heavy attacks are a bit trickier to use, since you’ll need to time them so that they can land and deal two points of damage. A properly placed straight kick can knock down even the strongest of enemies!
Enter Vigilance by pressing the B button. When this happens, you’ll consume one KI so that you can enter a defensive stance that will automatically dodge the next attack. When you dodge a melee hit, the attacker will be pushed behind you. You can use this to your advantage if you, say, have an enemy end up crashing into another opponent. Interact with objects or other characters by pressing the A button. When needed, this button can also be used to grab and throw.
With this one being a roguelite, you won’t be able to roll credits during your first try. You’ll have to learn from your mistakes and get the hang of things as you find new ways to deal with enemies and new techniques that can make a difference in the long run. Vigilance is important for dodging attacks, but so is blocking when you have a sturdy item in your hands. Throwing a weapon from a safe distance can be a good option to deal a bit of extra damage here and there. You can also try to hit a projectile to send it back toward an enemy.
In this roguelite, you’ll get to choose new techniques to add during each run that can aid you in extending your mission. You could, for example, pick the Peacekeeper passive technique, which will allow you to, once per fight, get hit directly by a weapon, cancel the hit, and equip the weapon. Another option is Longevity, which, once per fight, will allow you to heal one health when a foe is defeated by friendly fire. These will change depending on which Master you’re currently following.
Choose your path wisely as you explore each area, since this will allow you to pick from different nodes. These will have you fight against regular foes, elite enemies, have a chance to exchange goods with merchants, take on a special event, or fight against a powerful boss. As you defeat enemies and win fights, you’ll get to collect coins. These can be used to get yourself some yummy noodles to recover a bit of health, or to add new techniques to your arsenal.
Forestrike is a martial arts roguelite inspired by classic martial arts movies. You’ll be stepping into the role of Yu, and will be embarking on a journey across the country… to free the Emperor from an evil Admiral’s influence! This particular Admiral – a foreign mercenary – had presented himself to the court as a potential option for protecting the Capital. Unfortunately, as soon as he saw a chance, he made a play to take advantage of the scholars’ greed to gain great power and influence, like a parasite ready to strike.
You’re a martial artist who is part of the Order of the Foresight. Sworn to protect the Emperor, no matter the cost, all members are more than ready to die for him. As the last apprentice of the Order of the Foresight, and the youngest bearer of its secret technique, you’re the only one who can dare to stop the Admiral and the evil forces it commands, like vile puppets. Forestrike launches on Nintendo Switch on November 17 with a $9.99 price tag.
Disclaimer
This Forestrike review is based on a Nintendo Switch copy provided by Devolver Digital.
